Acts 18
5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, andno one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
It does not matter if the people respond to our sharing of the gospel or not. Most of us are too focus on wanting to close the deal with a sinner’s prayer and when we feel that they did not respond to our gospel presentation, that we ave failed God.
Paul, the great apostle, was rejected many times sometimes even to the point of death. His response was classic. He stopped preaching to those whose heart was close and move on to the next group who might respond to the message.
It is a lesson for us to not rely on our own strength and timing. It is God who does the work of regeneration and transformation. What God calls us to do is to be faithful in preaching the gospel in whatever way we can.